A New Adventure
by Khat57
Summary: A new hero is born in Steven, a young man who grew up listening to the tales of Ash Ketchum, as he must stop the villainous Team Cosmo from resurrecting the three elemental god Pokemon. Rated T for some violence and language.
1. The Journey Begins

_Okay, let's get a few things straightened out, right off the bat- No, this is not my story of Steven Stone, the champion of R/S/E; he is an original character, as are the three elemental god Pokemon- Thundeity, Laveity, and Aqueity- and Team Cosmo. Also, this is my first contribution to the wide world of fanfiction, so just note any problems you might see in the flow, the pacing, or whatever, with this in mind. I'm pretty sure I'll get better as the chapters go on. I mean, hey, everybody's first time is kinda rough, isn't it? _

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: The Journey Begins<strong>

Our story takes place in the world of Pokemon. The legendary Ash Ketchum has finally become a Pokemon master. But shortly after this happened, he seemed to just disappear off the face of the earth. No one had heard from or seen him since.

Enter a young boy named Steven, who grew up fascinated by the stories of Ash Ketchum and his journeys. He idolized Ash, and wished to become a Pokemon trainer himself, to develop a deep bond with Pokemon, just like Ash. He counted down the days until he turned ten years old and could finally set off on his own Pokemon adventure.

That joyous day finally came. He sprang out of bed, slipped out of his pajamas to change his clothes, and ran down the stairs to the outside world, gazing at the small town of Shrubbery Hills, where he grew up, and realized, this would probably be the last time he would see this town for a long time. He started to head off to Professor Cedar's lab, when his mother came out to stop him.

"Steven! You were going to leave without saying goodbye to your mother?"

"Aw, mom, I was gonna come back after I got my Pokemon!"

"I-I know, Steven... I just... I never expected this day to come so quickly... I'm... I'm going to miss you, sweetie..." Steven's mother opens her arms in a loving embrace and slowly closes in on Steven.

"Mom! We're in public!" Steven protested as his mother hugs him tightly.

"Mm... I just had to embarrass you one last time," she said with a wink. "Now go on and get your Pokemon, sweetie." Steven nods and runs off. To Steven's surprise, there were a lot of people outside of the professor's lab, each of them clamoring for a Pokemon. Steven tried to push past the mob, but failed and got shoved back to the outside each time. After a while, the professor came out with his hands up to announce something.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am sorry to announce, that all of the Pokemon in my lab have owners. Please come back some other time." The mob groaned in unison and left the lab. Steven approached Professor Cedar to engage in friendly conversation with him.

"Wow, I swear that many people don't live in this town."

"They don't. People come from near and far to get a Pokemon to start off their journey.

"Are... are you really out of Pokemon?" Steven asked with a slight crack in his voice.

"Fret not, Steven, I know you've been waiting for this day for a long time, so I put aside a Pokemon just for you." Steven gasped and clapped his hands with glee as the Professor went inside and came out with a Pokeball, presenting it to Steven. "Here."

Steven looked at the Pokeball for a second before proudly throwing it into the air. It opened up, and a beam of glowing white energy came out of it. The energy concentrated together and formed the silhouette of a Pokemon that looked familiar to Steven, but he couldn't put a name to it, until it took color.

"A Munchlax!" Steven exclaimed.

"Yep! And it's all yours!" said the Professor. He handed Steven some necessary items. "This is your Pokedex, and your Pokeballs... I think you know what to do with them," he chuckled. "You HAVE been preparing for this journey for pretty much most of your life."

"You bet, Professor! I'm ready to go out and face the world!" Steven started to run off, but then came back. "Umm... Which way should I go?"

Professor Cedar pointed to the east. "I suggest taking the Shrubbery Forest through to where it meets the Viridian Forest, and head south to take a rest at Pallet Town. Tell Professor Oak I sent you. Here; this map might help." He handed Steven a map of the Kanto region. "Just so you don't get lost."

"Thanks, Professor!" said Steven, and ran back home to tell his mother a final goodbye. "Mom... I'm gonna miss you, too... I just didn't want the whole world knowing..." He hugged his mother tightly as she let a tear shed.

"I know, Steven... It's just gonna be hard for me, you know? I'm going to be here all alone in this small town with no one to keep me company..."

Steven shrugged. "Join a book club or something?"

His mother sighed. "I'll think of something... Don't worry about me, just go out and have fun."

Steven smiled "Okay, mom." He left and shut the door behind him as his mother sighed.

And so, off Steven headed into the Shrubbery Forest, with Munchlax waddling behind him. Steven looked back.

"Do you wanna get in your ball?" Munchlax nodded no. "All right, if you insist..." As Steven and Munchlax slowly got deeper into the forest, the trees started getting more and more clumped together, obscuring Steven's vision. "Uh-oh, I hope we don't get lost..." Caterpie sat perched up on high tree branches, looking down at Steven and Munchlax, who both began darting their eyes back and forth faster and faster at the vast forest that surrounded them. "Munchlax... I think we're lost."

"Munch!" Munchlax covered his eyes, and sat down scared.

"H-Hey! Aren't animals supposed to have a keen sense of direction or something? C'mon, help us out!" Munchlax simply got in the fetal position. "Oh, great..." Steven sighed. "All right, all right, Steven..." he told himself, "No need to panic yet... Maybe I should just sit down and look at the map... Yeah, why didn't I do this before?" He looked at the map briefly. "BECAUSE THIS MAP'S FRIGGIN' USELESS, THAT'S WHY!" He tossed it to the ground and started sobbing a little. "Who am I kidding? I'm no Ash Ketchum... I never will be..." Steven sat upright in the fetal position as Munchlax came over to put his paw on his shoulder. Munchlax looked at the map on the ground.

"Munch!" He pointed at the map.

"What is it, Munchlax?..." Steven looked at where Munchlax was pointing. On the map was a tree that seemed slightly bigger than the rest. Munchlax then pointed straight ahead at a tree with a humongous trunk that stood tall above the rest. "Hey! We're not so lost after all!" Steven laughed excitedly as he got up and ran towards the tree. "C'mon, Munchlax!" Munchlax ran after him.

Deeper into Shrubbery Forest lay Team Rocket's own Jessie, James, and Meowth, resting cozily in a tree. But life wasn't all cozy for everyone's favorite comic relief villains. Several weeks earlier, they were driven out of a job due to harsh circumstances...

_Giovanni had rounded up all of Team Rocket to announce his biggest plan yet to rule the world. He had just gotten to the meat and potatoes of his plan, when suddenly, Team Rocket was ambushed by another costumed criminal organization. They called themselves Team Cosmo. But they were no average Pokemon-wielding criminal organization- they came onto Team Rocket territory armed to the teeth with guns, grenades, and other weaponry._

_"What is the meaning of this?" demanded Giovanni._

_"Well, well, Giovanni..." said the leader of Team Cosmo, who called himself Astro. "I have heard so much about you. You've made quite a name for yourself. Given all the hubbub I've heard, I expected breaking into your Rocket headquarters to be a more daunting task. How disappointing..."_

_"They say that the best defense is a good offense! Go, Team Rocket, show them what you're made of!" Giovanni pointed at Team Cosmo, with his forehead sweating. Astro simply chuckled to himself, and snapped his fingers. At the drop of a hat, two members of Team Cosmo on either side of Astro stepped forward, and aimed their machineguns at Giovanni. "NO!" Giovanni made the futile effort of putting up his arm just before the Cosmo grunts opened fire on him. Straight through the heart. The great Giovanni was dead. His body slumped over the balcony he stood at just moments before as many of his underlings cried out in denial: "Sir, no!" The rest could only stare in shock at their fallen leader. Astro chuckled to himself again._

_"Finish the rest of them off. Torch the place when you're done. Leave NO survivors." He calmly walked off as his grunts opened fire on the rest of Team Rocket. Left and right, many of Jessie and James' longtime comrades were meeting their end, including Butch and Cassidy. Jessie, James, and Meowth, terrified for their lives, snuck out to the nearest possible exit, trying to go by unnoticed, which miraculously happened. They ducked into some bushes outside the vicinity, and looked up only to see the building that was basically their home for a good part of their lives burst into flames._

_"Is this... Is this the end of Team Rocket?..." asked James._

_"Looks dat way, sadly..." replied Meowth sadly._

_Jessie couldn't get any words to come out of her mouth, except a blood-curdling cry of "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" as the flames raged on._

_Some time later, after Team Cosmo left, Jessie, James, and Meowth crawled out from the bush._

_"Just like dat," said Meowth, "everything we know and love... Poof! Gone."_

_Between crying fits, Jessie asked, "What are we going to do now?"_

_"We've dedicated most of our lives to Team Rocket. Day after day, we kept treating this job like it was going to be there forever... We should have planned for something like this," James commented._

_Meowth grew weary of Jessie and James' depressive and defeatist attitudes and did something he hadn't done in a long time- he clawed Jessie and James in their faces. "ALL RIGHT, YOU'SE TWO'S, CUT DAT CRAP OUT! WE'RE still alive, ain't we? As long as at least one member of Team Rocket is still alive, Team Rocket lives on!"_

_After rubbing the scars on his face, James stood up triumphantly. "You're right, Meowth! It's up to us now to make people keep fearing the name 'Team Rocket!'"_

_Jessie also stood up triumphantly. "Yeah! Who the hell do you think we are?"_

_"We're Team Rocket, that's who!" exclaimed Meowth._

_"Yeah!" Jessie and James said in unison as all three of them took up a victory pose._

_"We should take our operation back to where it all began, back in Kanto!" exclaimed Jessie. "It'll be like starting fresh!"_

_"Agreed!" cried James overenthusiastically._

_And with that, Team Rocket trekked for many days, traversing rough terrain, and scaling craggy mountains. So reasonably, by the time they got back to Kanto, they were exhausted. They felt a nap high up in some trees in the middle of the forest was well called for, which brings us back to our hero as he continues to travel through the same forest..._

Steven made it to the tall tree that Team Rocket happened to be sleeping in. "Man, we haven't been on this journey long, but I'm already exhausted... Wanna take a nap, Munchlax?"

"Munch munch!" Munchlax nodded, and curled up against the trunk of the tree.

"I don't speak Pokemon, but I'll take that as a yes," smiled Steven, and lay down next to his Pokemon friend. A short time after they conked out, Team Rocket started to yawn high up in the tree.

"Welp," said Meowth," time ta hit da road again!"

"Ngyeh, ten more minutes..." mumbled James.

Meowth grew cross. He broke off a thick branch nearby, and whacked James with it. "TIME TA HIT DA ROAD AGAIN!"

"Owww! Fine, geez..." James rubbed his now sore head. Meowth and Jessie jumped down as James crawled down the trunk. When he got near the ground, he out-stretched his foot to make sure that he could simply make a small, safe jump. What his foot felt, instead, was something loose and wobbly. James looked down and saw that he was stepping on a sleeping trainer's head! He shrieked and clung to the trunk.

Jessie and Meowth rushed over. "James, what is it?" asked Jessie.

"I-i-i-it's a kid!"

"Oh, brother..." groaned Jessie.

"Not just any kid! A kid with a Pokemon!" Meowth pointed at Munchlax, who was resting peacefully. "Dis is our foist chance ta go back ta our Team Rocket-y ways!" He snuck over to Munchlax and was about to pounce him when Jessie cried out "NO!" Meowth stopped in his place. "But why?"

"Think about it, Meowth; that's a Munchlax. Of what good would it be besides depleting our already scarce food supplies? There are hundreds of other possible Pokemon we could Poke-nap, many of them with much more benefits."

Steven started to rouse.

"Crap, we're gonna wake the kid up! Let's hightail it before-"

Steven opened his eyes. "Wh... Who are you people?..."

Team Rocket froze. James mustered up the courage to speak first. "I am James, and this is Jessie and Meowth."

"H-hello..." Jessie said nervously.

"Hi dere," said Meowth.

"Holy crap, a talking Pokemon!" cried Steven.

"BAAH! Where? Where?" cried Meowth, looking around frantically before realizing, "Oh, wait, I'M a talking Pokemon! Haha!"

"Wait," said Steven, "Jessie, James, and a talking Meowth... Are you guys Team Rocket?"

An awkward silence fell over Team Rocket. "... Who wants to know?" asked James at last, cautiously.

"I grew up listening to the stories of the Pokemon trainer Ash Ketchum, and you guys were brought up in those stories a lot!"

"Good t'ings or bad t'ings?" asked Meowth quizzically.

"A bit of both," replied Steven, "though, sometimes, I found myself rooting for you guys to finally kidnap Ash's Pikachu." Steven chuckled.

Jessie walked up to Steven and put her arm on his shoulder. "So did we, kid; so did we. What's your name, by the way?"

"Steven..." He started to blush. "I-I didn't expect you to be so beautiful in person," he said shyly.

Jessie's eyes glowed. "You said what?..." She squealed and took a giant leap towards James, dragging Meowth with her. "He's so cute! Can we keep him?"

"What, just to boost yer own ego? C'mon! And why are ya talking about 'im like he's an abandoned Growlithe?" cried Meowth?

"Growlithe?... Growly..." James trailed off, thinking of his own Growlithe. His imagination got the best of him, and he looked over at Steven only to see his childhood friend. Then he got all googily-eyed as he and Jessie both turned to Meowth asking "Can we keep him, can we keep him?"

"Aw, fer crying out loud..."

Steven approached them. "Could I please come with you?" he asked shyly. "I mean, I love my Munchlax, here, but I think this journey would get pretty lonely after a while..."

"Of course!" replied Jessie and James in unison. They both rushed over to him, and James gave him a noogie while Jessie pinched his cheeks.

"I'm starting to regret asking..." groaned Steven quietly

Team Rocket, Steven, and Munchlax journeyed deeper into the forest.

"So where were you going by yourself in these dark, scary woods?" asked James to Steven.

"Well, Professor Cedar told me to stop by and visit Professor Oak in Pallet Town, and then..." He shrugged. "I guess just take my journey from there?"

"What are yer goals as a Pokemon trainer?" asked Meowth.

"Uhh, I don't quite know... I don't exactly think battling gym leaders will be my thing... I just love being with Pokemon.

"Well, if ya ever decide to be a Pokemon thief, ya know just the guys to toin to!" Meowth cackled.

"Uhh... Thanks, but no thanks," Steven replied with a nervous smile.

Finally, the group came out of Shrubbery Forest into where it met Viridian Forest.

"Ahhhhhh, the memories..." commented James. "It all happened so long ago, but I still remember it all like it was yesterday..."

"Don't go reminiscing on us, Jimmy-boy," said Meowth half-sarcastically.

"Oh, don't pretend like you don't do it!"

"Kay, now we gotta head south to get to Pallet Town... Let's go!" said Steven.

After a bit more trekking, the gang finally reached Pallet Town. But something was askew. Pallet Town had always been a quiet little town, but it was quieter than usual. It almost seemed like a ghost town.

"...Hello? Is anybody here?" asked Steven loudly. A discomforting echo rang throughout the town. One would have expected a tumbleweed at any second.

"Geez, dis is creepy..." commented Meowth. "Ya sure dis is Pallet Town?"

"According to my map, yeah..."

Munchlax started sweating and ran away. "Munchlaaaaaaaaax!..."

"Where's HE going?" asked James.

"Some Pokemon know when danger's approaching. I t'ink poisonally dat we should follow his example.." Meowth darted after Munchlax.

"Heeeey, wait for us!" cried Jessie and James, following in Meowth's footsteps.

"Waitaminute, you guys! You're just gonna leave me here?" cried Steven. Just then, he head footsteps approaching. He looked dead ahead and saw Astro and a small gang of his henchmen.

"Are you with us or against us?" asked Astro calmly.

"I-I-I have no idea who you are..."

Astro raised his voice a bit, but still somehow managed to keep a calm demeanor. "Are you with us or against us?"

"I just came to town to see Professor Oak!"

Astro smiled an evil smile. "Oh, well, if that's all you came for... Doubt he'll have much to say, though." He chuckled in the most disheartening way as a helicopter lowered itself to the ground to pick up Team Cosmo. "I like you kid. You got guts. Unlike most people, you didn't cower in fear and cry like a little bitch for your life in my presence. I hope I see you again. We're going to have fun," he said in the most repugnant, vile, and sleazy tone possible, almost like a sewer full of sludge was coming out of his mouth as he said it. He smiled and fixed a gaze on Steven that just froze him completely. He stood there motionless as Team Cosmo got into the helicopter and flew away. Then, Team Rocket and Munchlax came back.

"Was dat... Team Cosmo?" gasped Meowth.

"Team who?"

"Team Cosmo, dey broke into Team Rocket headquarters and shot up da place. Dey... Dey..."

"They killed our boss, Giovanni..." said James solemnly. Jessie choked up.

Steven gasped. "My God! How could they do such a thing?"

"I want to know myself," said Jessie, almost breaking into tears.

"Well, m-maybe Professor Oak knows something... Let's go see him," suggested Steven. Team Rocket nodded and followed Steven past the barren houses to the giant lab that stood in the middle. The automatic doors opened for them and they walked inside. But what they saw was a scene of chaos. Professor Oak and his aides, including his own grandson Gary, were lying in pools of their own blood, riddled with gunshots. Gary still showed signs of life, so Steven ran up to him. "What happened here?"

Gary gasped, took a deep breath, and started to tell the tale. "Those bastards... Team Cosmo, I think they called themselves... They just barged in here and demanded information on the three elemental god Pokemon- Thundeity, Aqueity, and Laveity. That stuff is classified information, because their powers combined could spell the destruction of the world... So we denied them, and then they opened fire on us. First Gramps, and then everybody else... And they just took the information, anyway..." He grabbed Steven by his collar, with his arm shaking. "You're a Pokemon trainer, right?"

"Y-yeah..."

"You HAVE to stop Team Cosmo..." He pointed at a lab table with three rocks on it. "Take those three rocks to the research lab in Pewter City, north of the Viridian Forest... They will tell you the locations of those rocks, and then you must go to those places to stop Team Cosmo, because that's most likely where they're going... The fate of the world... depends... on... you..." Gary choked up blood. "And in the slim chance you run into Ash Ketchum, tell him... I'll smell him... in the afterlife..." He wheezed and choked and finally died, letting go of Steven's shirt collar.

"... Man, this is heavy stuff..." commented James as Steven picked up the three rocks.

"Hmm... What I'm t'inkin' is," said Meowth, "dat dis Team Cosmo shot up Rocket headquarters in order ta eliminate any possible competition dey would have to capture dese 'elemental god Pokemon' dat dis guy was talking about. Ya know, so it'd be easier for dem to catch 'em. So it's possible that they are going to or already got Team Plasma, Magma, Aqua, and Galactic..."

James stretched out his shirt. The big red "R" seemed to stare back at him. "If this Team Cosmo is serious about 'wiping out the competition,' I think we should... ditch the uniforms. And hold off on reforming Team Rocket..."

"Just to be on the safe side... That sounds like a good idea," said Jessie glumly.

"Don't worry!" said Meowth, "we'll help Steven here in any way we can so Team Rocket can roam da streets freely again!" He looked at Jessie and James. "Ain't dat right?"

"Right!" they both said.

"But in the meantime, we should find clothes that don't stick out as much," said James. "I mean, Ash and his gang might not have recognized us easily in costume, no matter how long we were going after them, but this Team Cosmo seems smarter than that."

"Sounds like a plan to me," said Steven. He turned around and marched out the door, ready to kick Team Cosmo ass.


	2. Can You Smell What the Brock Is Cooking?

_Faaaaaanservice! Trust me, the fanservice is only gonna get more frequent from here, folks. Now enjoy this chapter and get ready for the plot to thicken with the next chapter!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Can You Smell What The Brock Is Cooking? <strong>

"... You know," said James, "I can't think of the last time we've taken off our Rocket uniforms. Even if we're wearing another costume on top of this, we usually have them on underneath, at least... It's going to be hard finding a new 'style.' But we have to if we don't want to be like the rest of poor Team Rocket."

Team Rocket was in a clothes store in Viridian City, with Steven and Munchlax patiently awaiting them to pick out new clothes so they could go and stop Team Cosmo's dastardly plans.

Meowth came out of the dressing room in a swanky suit and tie. "Well, I ain't gotta worry about dat, but I do like dese clothes! Can I get dese?"

"No," replied Team Rocket in a deadpan tone.

"I was just askin', sheesh..."

Suddenly, a familiar character entered the store. It was none other than Pewter City's own gym leader Brock, who was looking more and more like his father Flint every day. He instantaneously recognized Team Rocket. "YOU!" he cried out, pointing his finger at them. Team Rocket frantically waved their hands around in protest.

"Waitwaitwaitwait, hear us out!" cried James.

"We're not doing anything criminal anymore!"

Meowth jumped in. "Yeah! We're just getting' clothes here to protect our identities from Team Cosmo, who shot up Team Rocket headquarters!"

Brock gasped softly looked down solemnly. "The same ones who shot up the lab in Pallet Town..."

"Wow, bad news really does travel fast," said Meowth.

Steven stood up. "And I'm gonna stop this Team Cosmo!"

Brock looked at Munchlax sitting on the bench. "Is that your only Pokemon?"

"Y-yeah..."

"Good luck stopping a criminal syndicate with just a Munchlax."

Munchlax stood up defiantly. "Munchlax!"

"I don't wanna force my Pokemon to fight..." said Steven.

"With an organization like Team Cosmo, you may have no choice but to fight, and if it ever came down to that, your Pokemon are far from ready... Unless you think you can take me in a gym battle?"

Steven stuttered. "Uhh, w-well, but-but I-"

"I'll see you at my gym," said Brock firmly, and left.

"Wait, why'd he come in here if he wasn't going to get anything?" asked Jessie.

"I-I can't fight..." said Steven, falling to his knees. "Do I have to fight?..."

Meowth put his paw on Steven's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll fight wit' ya!"

"Isn't it illegal to fight a gym battle with somebody else's Pokemon?"

"Heck if I know. But even if it is, you DO realize dat yer talking to former members of Team Rocket, right? Like we care what's legal or illegal!"

"The twerp does have a point, though," said Jessie as she tried on a Japanese schoolgirl outfit, "if you do plan on stopping Team Cosmo, there's probably not much you can do besides fight. And the only way your Pokemon are going to become stronger is if they, well... fight."

"Well, yeah, but-" Steven sighed. "Guess I have no choice..."

"You plenty got a choice," said Meowth, "one's just bettah than the otha."

Steven got up. "I'll go."

"Ya want me to come with and help ya fight?" asked Meowth. "I gots a little trick up my sleeve..." He bare his claws and they shined brightly in the light.

"Just to be safe, yes, but I think I should use you as a last resort. Munchlax and me should really try and win this together."

"Undastandable. Let's go!" said Meowth. He looked at Jessie and James. "We'll be back for ya in a bit." Steven, Meowth, and Munchlax left the clothes store to arrive at Pewter City Gym, which remained largely unchanged from Ash Ketchum's day, aside from a large dome hovering over the central battlefield, which was most likely there to prevent any more "sprinkler incidents." Brock stood at the back, waiting with his arms crossed.

"Good to see you come," he commented, and stepped forward. "Two Pokemon each sound good?"

Steven cracked his neck and knuckles and whatever other bones he could crack, then pointed at the battlefield. "Sounds good to me! Munchlax, I-"

Brock interrupted him. "Golem, go!" He threw his Pokeball into the dome, and out popped Golem, whose footsteps shook the gym.

"Humina humina humina humina humina..." Steven's finger quivered at the sight of the monstrosity Golem. "M-m-m-munchlax, I-I-I ch-ch-choose y-y-y-ou..."

Meowth smiled nervously as he sweated. "Y-y-yeh, good luck out dere, buddy!"

Munchlax pointed at himself. "Munch?"

Brock cleared his throat impatiently. "I'm waiting."

"Well, ya see, Mr. Brock, sir," replied Steven, twiddling his thumbs, "this, uh, this is my first official Pokemon battle, so I was just wondering... Is there, uh, any way you could take it easy on me?... Please?..."

"I have had first-time battlers completely decimate me," said Brock, "you never know what you and your Pokemon are capable of until you both try. But, if you think the battle is getting too out of hand for your Pokemon, just say the word, and I'll stop the match. Just _try." _Steven was still hesitant. "Come on, you're not gonna puss out like this when you're facing Team Cosmo, are you? When the fate of the entire world is on the line?

"N-NO!" cried Steven," I just... I just..." He took a few deep breaths. "Come on, Munchlax, get out there and kick some ass!"

Munchlax pounded its fists together. "Munch Munch!" He marched onto the battlefield and glared Golem in the eye.

"Kid's got guts, I'll give 'im dat," said Meowth.

"Golem, Rollout!" Golem withdrew his arms and legs and charged at Munchlax like a runaway boulder.

"Gah! Munchlax, duck out of the way!" Munchlax narrowly avoided a head-on attack from Golem, but stumbled and fell on his bottom in the process.

"Golem, loop back around!" Golem did, and Munchlax stood there, terrified and unsure of what to do.

"Munchlax... MEGA PUNCH!" Munchlax's fist glowed, and he charged up a powerful hit that sent Golem flying into the dome, cracking it. Brock gasped as Golem hit the ground in a cloud of smoke.

"Yeah!" cheered Steven.

"I wouldn't celebrate just yet..." said Meowth, not wanting Steven to get his hopes up and let his guard down. Sure enough, when the smoke cleared, Golem stubbornly got up, worn and battered, but still up for a fight.

"Dammit all!" cried Steven.

"I better take him out quick... That Mega Punch could prove fatal..." Brock muttered to himself. "Golem, Explosion!"

Golem lit up with rays of light coming out of it.

"Munchlax, get out of the way!" Steven was nervous for his Pokemon friend. His fear rose higher as he couldn't see what happened to Munchlax in the fiery explosion that soon followed. The dome shook and cracked more; the section of the dome that Golem hit flew off and crashed against the wall. But smoke was still inside the dome. Steven gulped. _What if Munchlax isn't okay? Can Meowth get the job done? Please, please, please be all right, Munchlax... _Finally, the smoke cleared up, and Munchlax was bruised up, but still all right, tucked behind some stalactites on the field.

"YEAH! Munchlax, you made it!"

"Damn!" uttered Brock, "I wasted Golem! No matter... My next Pokemon will make it up for Golem... Golem, return! Steelix, I choose you!" Golem was recalled into his ball, and out came the monstrous steel snake Pokemon, Steelix. Meowth and Steven stood outside the dome with their mouths agape. "Steelix, Slam Attack!" Steelix growled, and crushed poor Munchlax under its weight. Steven winced and looked away and Meowth covered his eyes, but still peeked. Steelix got up, and Munchlax had X's in its eyes. Brock crossed his arms and smiled in a victorious manner.

Steven sighed. "Munchlax, return..." He took out Munchlax's Pokeball, and recalled it. "Looks like it's up to you, Meowth. Got any strategies?"

Meowth put his hand on his chin and looked at the hole in the dome caused by Golem's explosion. "I t'ink I do..." He grinned, and jumped onto the field. "All right, ya overgrown lizard, come and get me!"

Steelix's eyes grew cross and lowered its face to Meowth's level. Meowth turned around and spanked himself. "Ya want some of dis?"

Steven put his head in his hand. "Ohhhhh, crap..."

Steelix only grew more cross and looked at its master as if to say, "Please, can I just take this guy out, already?"

"Steelix, use Iron Tail!" Steelix gladly obliged, whipping its tail down into the ground, but Meowth was quick to dodge it, zipping to the side, bouncing off another stalactite, and jumping into the air towards the hole in the dome. He barely latched on, and jumped onto the outside of the dome. He ran to the center and stared down mockingly at Steelix.

"What is that Meowth doing?..." asked Brock to himself.

"What is that Meowth doing?..." asked Steven to himself.

Steelix growled, which one could only assume roughly translated to "What is that Meowth doing?"

Meowth chuckled and made faces at Steelix from outside the dome, not the least of them being the "bii-da" face. Steelix finally had it with Meowth's tomfoolery and charged straight at him, not seeming to realize that Meowth was on the dome. Steelix's iron head broke through the top of the dome, and Meowth latched onto Steelix's nose for dear life. "Hehehe, hi dere!" Steelix roared, and threw Meowth off of his nose, which sent him flying onto the catwalk hanging above the gym. Upon landing, Meowth got back up, a bit battered, but still ready to pick a fight. "Is dat da best ya got?" Steelix could take no more, and charged at Meowth again. Then, Steelix's head hit the sprinkler system, and water was being sprayed all over, including on Steelix, who let out a cry of pain.

"It's just like what Ash did 10 years ago!" gasped Brock. "And-and-and my DOME!" He looked at Steven. "You seem to walk the same thin line between skill and luck that Ash Ketchum did. No matter; you won the Boulder Badge."

"Badges?" asked Steven, "Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges!"

"Not even as proof that you defeated a gym leader?"

"Well... I guess I could, in that case." Steven took the badge from Brock's hand and pinned it to his shirt, stabbing himself ever so slightly in the process. "Ow," he whimpered.

"Congratulations," said Brock. "You should have no trouble defeating Team Cosmo at the rate you're going. Keep at it, champ." He gave Steven a wholehearted thumbs-up, and Steven gave one back. Meowth had finally crawled back down from the catwalk. "All right! Let's get outta here!"

"Yeah, we still gotta go to the research lab and show them the three rocks," replied Steven.

"I'm sure Jessie and James are sure finding new outfits, too." And with that, Steven and Meowth left the gym. They went back to the clothes store and saw Jessie and James donning their new outfits.

Jessie was in a traditional white blouse and plaid skirt while James had on a dark blue suit similar to the one he had in his youth.

"You guys good to go?" Meowth asked.

"I think so... Do we look all right?" asked James.

Steven nodded. "Yeah, I think so! Now let's get to the Pewter City lab and figure out what's up with these rocks." And so, Steven and Team Rocket were on their way.


End file.
